World Cup 2016: Sharks’ Donskoi, Hertl and Polak named to rosters, with more to come?

Sharks players Joonas Donskoi, Tomas Hertl and Roman Polak have been chosen to represent their respective countries at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto this fall.

Donskoi, 23, was among 16 players named to Team Finland early Wednesday morning, and Hertl, 22, and Polak, 29, were among the 16 players named to Team Czech Republic. Each of the eight teams that will play in the World Cup had to select at least 16 players by Wednesday.

Each team will have a roster of 23 players: 20 skaters and three goaltenders, and the balance of each team’s roster must be announced no later than June 1.

Team Canada will announce its first 16 players at 3 p.m. (Pacific) and Team USA will have their announcement at 3:45 p.m. Sharks captain Joe Pavelski is expected to be named to the American roster, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic is strong candidate to make the Canadian team, although he might be one of the players that needs to wait until the spring to get official word. Vlasic won gold at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

In his first full season of hockey in North America, Donskoi has been a fixture in the Sharks’ lineup and has 27 points – tied for 12th among all rookies – in 57 games. His international experience includes two World Junior Championships and one World Championship appearance last May.

Hertl, in his third year with the Sharks, is having his best season as a professional with 33 points in 61 games. He was part of the Czech team that took fourth at the 2015 World Championships as the host team.

Polak has played in two World Junior Championships, two World Championships and one Olympics, in 2010.